Billionaire's Escort

Chapter eleven

Kimberly’s POV

He walked me to a round table where a man in a white suit was standing sipping on a glass of champagne. 

“Kimberly, this is Jack, one of my oldest friends,” he spoke as the man put his glass down and looked at me. 

“Hi,” I said shyly. 

“Hello, now I see what all the fuss is about,” he smirked earning a glare from Landon.

“Okay? It’s nice to meet you,” I said offering him my hand to shake. 

“Likewise.”

He then turned to Landon and his face completely changed. 

“Have you met the she-devil yet?”

“No, I haven’t seen her,” he huffed. “And I preferred if it stayed that way.”

“The she-devil?” I questioned. 

“His terrible excuse of an ex-fiancé,” he chuckled. “She is the absolute worse and she is like a parasite. You never seem to really get rid of her completely.” 

“Oh, you must be talking about me,” a nasal voice spoke from behind. “Jack, Landon and-“ she said and eyed me up and down. “- I don’t think I have been unlucky enough to meet you yet.”

“Told ya,” Jack said and chucked down his drink. “I’ll go get a refill; anyone wants one?”

“Make that two,” I muttered to which he chuckled. 

“Well, aren’t you a delight,” she huffed. 

“Could say the same about you,” I said with the most genuine smile I could offer her. 

“So, what is a low life nothing doing at an event like this?” she asked with fake interest.

“Lina,” Landon warned. “Speak ill of my girlfriend in front of me again and I will have you escorted out.”

“Oh, Landon dear, I was just joking around,” she pouted. “Mostly at least.”

What a complete b***h. How he was ever with her, I had no understanding of. I mean look-wise, yes, but attitude-wise? Hell no. 

She was tall and beautiful and her long golden hair went to the middle of her back in beautifully made waves. Even her eyes shined with a golden color, but I knew, that her eyes had nothing on mine. However, all that beauty seemed to disappear as soon as she chose to open that filthy mouth of hers. 

“You really have lowered your standard huh?” she questioned while taking me in, her eyes almost ripping my body apart. “Couldn’t find anyone that was like me?”

“I think that was the whole point,” I spoke and watched Jack choke on one of the drinks he had in his hand as he made his way back to the table.

“Good one,” he said as he handed me my drink. 

“So, are you like, his girlfriend, girlfriend or are you just talking for the sake of the media?” Lina asked while eyeing me suspiciously. 

“If I kill you, are you dead, dead, or just not breathing?” I answered trying to sound as casual as possible.


From the corner of my eye, I could see Landon trying to contain himself from laughing and Jack who didn’t seem to give a f**k, burst out laughing right on the spot. 

“Are you going to let her speak that way to me?” she asked Landon with a pout.

“You asked, she answered,” he shrugged and this time it was my turn to suppress a laugh.  “Don’t ask something if you aren’t ready to hear the answer to it.”

“I don’t think your mom will appreciate you talking to me like that,” she smirked. “And I certainly don’t think she would appreciate you dragging trash to her very fine brunch with all these important people. After all, this is a charity brunch and we don’t usually invite the charity case to witness it, but I guess she made an exception this year.”

The nerve of this woman. I clenched my fists that were hanging along my sides as I tried to control the breathing that couldn’t seem to get past my chest area. I needed it all the way down to my stomach or I would soon be on top of this person choking the living hell out of her. 

“The only trash here Lina seems to be you,” Jack defended in a dark voice. “I would appreciate it if you didn’t speak so badly about my best friend.” 

“Your best friend huh? You seem to have both of them wrapped around your finger but let me tell you this,” she said as she with two big steps was right in front of me. “Eventually they will both grow bored of you, and they will come right back to where they belong. With me.”

She turned on her heels and was about to walk away when I stopped her. 

“Actually, Lina,” I spoke catching her attention. “You know what, never mind. You are really not worth my time.” 

I turned around, now facing the table and the two men standing in front of me gaping at me. Lina’s huff could be heard from miles away followed by the clicking sound of her heels that hit the wooden floor. 

“Poor heels,” I said as I downed my drink. “To think they have to carry the weight of that ego.”

“I like you,” Jack said raising his glass. 

“Of course, what’s not to like,” I said mocking the she-devil. 

“That was scarily accurate,” Landon frowned. 

“Thank you, I tried my very best,” I laughed. 

The rest of the day went on without a hitch. Landon introduced me to several people who had been curious about the lady on his arm until his mom highjacked me once again to talk about the different rose bushes she had been looking at.

“I hope it’s not a bother,” she said with an apologetic voice. 

“Not at all Marie,” I chuckled. “I’m just happy that you are welcoming me with open arms.”

“In my family, I was raised to not judge a book by its cover. There’s so much lying underneath one’s surface and that I won’t know off until I know you,” she smiled. “Besides, it’s my pleasure. It’s been a long time since I have seen someone sharing the same passion for gardening as myself.”

The way she spoke and the way she looked at me when she did, made me question whether or not she knew of the truth. Did she know who I was?

“And the fact that you make my son so happy is just making it all better. It has been some time since I last saw him look at someone the way he looks at you. You seem to be handling him well,” she smiled. 

“There’s nothing for me to handle,” I assured her. 

“Nonsense, I’m his mom, I know how he is so there is no need to hide it from me,” she chuckled. “He can be rough around the edges at times, and he works a lot, too much if you ask me, so please be patient with him. He is a good one, he just needed to find the one to bring it out.”

“I’m hardly sure that that is me,” I said shyly. 

“Honey, you got him here and I saw how you acted around Jack as well. And Lina for that matter. You handled that very nicely.”

“Wait, you heard all of that?”

“Indeed, I did,” she laughed. “And it was about time someone put her in her place.”

“But, I don’t understand. Why did you invite her then, if you don’t mind me asking?”

“I may not always use the best measures to get what I want, but this time it worked. I got to see my son, and on top of that, I got to meet the beautiful woman he is now sharing his life with. I just wanted to see if he was happy and now, I know that he is.”

“Well, she is a piece of work,” I agreed. 

“He doesn’t think that I know, but I am fully aware of what happened between them and I would never try to push them to get back together after what she did,” she huffed. “I’m glad she didn’t manage to scare you off.”

“Trust me, it takes more than someone like her to do so,” I reassured her. 

“Oh, I trust you on that one,” she grinned. “You seem to have more strength in your spine than her heels holding up her ego,” she said with a wink making me blush.

To think that she had heard me speak that way was more than embarrassing. 

“There you are,” Landon complained as he approaches us. “I turn around for a split second and you snatch her away.”

“Oh, stop being so dramatic,” she gushed. 

“It’s fine,” I laughed. “We were having a rather good time out here. It’s very peaceful.”

“And we have now settled on the roses we are going to plant,” she clapped. 

“And which did you choose if I may ask?”

“Some white ones, some yellow and some in the ordinary and way to underrated red ones,” I smiled.

“Sounds amazing, we will have to come back soon then I hear,” he spoke with a raised brow. 

“I would like that very much,” both his mom and I spoke at the same time. 

“Thank you for today mom,” he said as he went over and hugged her. “But we need to get going, so we will see you tomorrow.”

“It was a pleasure having you both,” she said and hugged me afterward. “I will see you tomorrow.”

“Say goodbye to dad for me okay? He is in the middle of a rather boring conversation with Mr. Jacobs that I would rather not be dragged into.”

“I will,” she laughed. “When they are done that is. I don’t want to be a part of that either,” she whispered. 

When we were in the car, he turned to me with a weird look on his face. 

“What?” I asked and he shook his head. 

“You not only managed to fend off Lina, but you also managed to sway both of my parents and Jack. I am utterly impressed,” he smiled. 

“I was just being myself,” I shrugged. “Like you told me to.”

“And that worked like a charm,” he winked as I pulled out my phone. 

27 missed calls from Cherry, 11 from Elenore, and 14 unread messages. Well, that couldn’t be any good. 

“What’s wrong?” he asked noticing the unsettling look on my face. 

“I don’t know yet,” I muttered as I pressed the return call button. 

I put the phone to my ear and waited until Cherry’s voice boomed through the phone. 

“Goddammit Kimberly!” she yelled.

“What is going on?”

“I thought something had happened to you too since you didn’t pick up,” she whined. 

“No, I’m fine, we were at the brunch,” I said confused. “What do you mean by too?”

“You need to come to the house,” she said in a small voice. 

“Why? What is happening?”

“It’s Caitlyn,” she almost whispered. “She was found dead.”

“D-Dead?” I stuttered.